Moths'n'all that! Cesares, Spain

It was hurling a "blowy" as I stumbled through the rain at Gatwick North terminal...Bank Holiday Monday was going to be another wash out at least for the the South ...Flights were stacked up as we sat on the tarmac waiting for our 30 second window of escape..the steward sounded so monotonal and depressed that  I wondered for a moment what a man so obviously uninspired with his career was doing or perhaps he'd was suffering from  a lovers tiff that morning.  The flight itself was uneventful,I chatted to a woman with her young daughter about the bonuses of house swapping on the Internet, my recent couch surfing discovery and my plans to dance round the world...she told me about her recent career change to become an architectural interior designer.  It sounded interesting and at the same time tough. The journey passed quickly.

cesares narrow steets

The landing at Gibraltar airport never fails to impress me ..the runway is short and bordered on both ends by the sea, planes descend low over the naval ships in the harbor, breaking dramatically as the wheels touch down landing almost immediately. The wind often gets up around the Rock and quite often pilots have to make more than one attempt.  Its definitely  not for the nervous flyer.

Cesares view from above

The airport itself is tiny, one small baggage conveyor  manned by two armed  Gibraltarian police wielding weapons that looked as if they'd make a sizable hole in the  terminus wall if not the Rock itself. And then the walk  to Spain - Gibraltar gets so clogged up with traffic its always best to walk to La Linea on the Spanish side to pick up the car.   Often the Spanish officers seem to deliberately slow the incoming Gibralter traffic which curls in great loops on the approach to this tiny, overcrowded island..A mini England of fish and chips, pubs, M&S and Morrison's..its not my place and I'm always keen to get back to the Spanish side but its a great place to learn to sail or in Spring months find a crew position on the many boats heading off towards Greece. 

Finca La Molina

I was heading inland to my parents finca below the idyllic, white washed village of Cesares.  My parents moved here 8 years ago..it was the second house they saw and they fell in love with it or rather with the mountain and the spectacular views to the Med and Africa beyond.  A haven for bird life - Griffin vultures with huge wing spans and Booted Eagles circle over head.   Despite the rampant development of the coast line and further below the village itself has survived relatively peacefully and is maitained beautifully. Here my mum has become the resident moth expert trapping moths each night and laboriously identifying and photographing them each morning.  What started out as a hobby has taken over with moth experts from Denmark and Germany visiting. 

Mum & John Sabinillas beach bar

I spent the next four days lazing in the sun, finalizing flights for the main trip and catching up on emails.  On the last day we had lunch out at a Chiringito (beach bar) in the old fishing town of Sabinias...we feasted on sardines, fresh pork (usually the best meat choice in Andalusia), monk fish and prawns washed down with a few glasses of Tinto Verano and then collapsed on the beach in the warm sunshine. .

Sadly my time was short here - I was returning to the UK  for a 50th birthday party .  Guy  a veteran St Anton skier had booked the mighty Gunner from the St Anton Piccadily bar to play - I was keen to catch up with him and get some tips for finding a  good place.  Plus I wanted to see my ski friends Jane and co from the Lakes one more time before I left...

Sabinillas beach bar

So on Friday I headed out from Malaga on an Easy jet flight back to Manchester...